Maui’s stairway to heaven with unheavenly nickname: Slaughterhouse

Some people use the stairs to Mokulēi‘a Beach (pictured below) for exercise, others for sightseeing.

Before revealing the location depicted in the most recent Hawaii Insider photo quiz, which appeared here way back on Oct. 16, reader Walter K. Brown of San Francisco gave me a gentle lecture in his e-mailed response: “You’re giving away all of the hidden spots that were / are cherished by us Kamaainas!!! Pretty soon, thanks to your articles and quizzes, there won’t be any hidden places for us ‘locals’ to retreat to.”

In my defense, Mokulēi‘a Beach, shown below, is not a particularly hidden spot, since Maui County built a a very handsome staircase to it, seen at left; it’s also right off the main highway, not far from the last west side resort heading north. And Walter was conciliatory in writing, “In any event, you picked a great location. That is a wonderful beach with water that is perfect for everything from swimming and snorkeling to body-boarding (when the surf picks up in the afternoon). It is very picturesque, including some of the best views of nearby Molokai. This is a must-stop for anyone driving around the western side of Maui.”

Michael Cordova of San Francisco also recommends stopping at this beach, for “lovely snorkeling” (when surf isn’t up) and to keep on driving north afterward: “The drive to Kahului is magnificent, specially the world’s best banana bread at the green shack. I have been known to fed-x several loaves for various in-the-know friends when I go Maui.”

The snorkeling can be spectacular in part because the area became part of the state’s 45-acre Honolua-Mokulē‘ia Marine Life Conservation District in 1978. “I can recall going down to the beach looking for a snorkeling spot at the wrong time of year (winter) when I was a child,” wrote Peter MacIlvaine of Scottsdale, Ariz. “I don’t think there was a very good stairway at the time (c. 1990), but the location is certainly picturesque. A bit more exploring led me to Honolua Bay around the point to the right, which has lots of fish to see but not much of a beach!”

These readers, along with Jennifer Penner of Oakland, also knew that this Mokulē‘ia — whose name, shared with a beach on O‘ahu’s North Shore , means “isle or district of abundance” in Hawaiian — also has the unfortunate nickname of Slaughterhouse Beach. That’s because years ago Honolua Ranch built a slaughterhouse and a storage shed for hides on its sea cliffs “apparently for the convenient disposition of unwanted remains, which were simply dumped into the ocean below,” according to John R.K. Clark’s definitive “The Beaches of Maui County.” The slaughterhouse was torn down in the mid-1960s, Clark writes, but the name stuck.

What doesn’t always stick is the sand, “subject to erosion during the winter” — as Peter discovered –“and accretion during the summer,” writes Clark. He explains, “Heavy surf often pounds the beach during the winter, washing sand offshore and exposing large boulders in the shorebreak. These are dangerous conditions even for experienced watermen. During the summer, when the sand returns and forms a shallow sandbar offshore, the shorebreak is much safer and attracts many bodysurfers.”

For the record, the photo below was shot in late October last year — always take current conditions into account before venturing into the ocean. Thanks to all who participated in the Sunday Photo Quiz.

At times Mokulē‘ia Beach, a/k/a Slaughterhouse, can be quite secluded, even though a handy set of stairs lead right to it. (Photos by Jeanne Cooper / Special to SFGate)